greenmtngirl

Hello!
We are considering a family trip to Italy in the summer of 2010. We are looking for a way to turn our credit card purchases into air miles. We have never done this before and fly very rarely. We would love suggestions about how to get over to Italy as inexpensively as we can!
TIA
Cindy

sf7307

Have you already accrued miles on your credit card? If not, it's highly unlikely that you will be able to accrue enough miles between now and the time you will need to use them. Also, summer travel using miles, especially to popular destinations like Italy, is very difficult, and there are very rarely (if ever) "sales" on the number of miles you need to use. You'd likely need between 50,000 and 100,000 miles per person for a round-trip ticket. On most credit cards, you get 1 mile for each dollar spent.

TuckH

I've nothing to contribute to your flight questions but do offer these suggestions to save pennies once you arrive in Italy...

To save on lodging and restaurants, stay in a self-catering agriturismo (and use a rental car to go on day trips) in rural areas. Book a rental apartment in the city.

Jean

As sf7307 has pointed out, it's unlikely you can accumulate enough miles in time to fly an entire family on free tickets. So, consider how much your air fare will be and then tell us what remains of your budget for the ground portion of the vacation.

It would also be helpful to know where in Italy you want to go, how old your kids will be and what type of vacation you'd like to have (active/city/museums v. slower/towns/atmosphere or a combo).

greenmtngirl

Thanks for your responses! I figured we would not be able to earn all of the tickets but was hoping for one or two - but that doesn't seem possible Oh well, we'll keep saving!

We have yet to research exactly where we want to go. When we figure that out, we'll be back on here to ask questions, I am sure. (My initial question was in regards to just getting to Italy.)

november_moon

We haven't made it to Italy yet because we haven't had any luck using our miles to get tickets - it seems that everybody else has the same idea and since the airlines only release a few seats per flight for purchase with miles, they get snagged up very quickly. With the exchange rate, we would have a hard time affording a trip to Europe if we had to buy airline tickets as well.

ldydoc12

We have an american airlines frequent flyer credit card. We put everything including utilities, groceries, etc. on it. We bought the remaining miles we needed and secured two tickets a year in advance. We ended up spending 450 a piece, but pretty cheap for tickets to Europe in September 2009. It can be done if you put everything on it and do it in advance. Tickets were 40,000 for the days we picked. Check into it.

Jean

FYI, greenmtngirl, the airlines open flights for reservations and FF seats approximately 330 days in advance, so you'd have to have sufficient miles for even one ticket sometime in August 2009.

Check with your airline to get the exact number of days and find out "when" their day starts (east/central/west time zone). You should call on the first available day for your outbound flight and then call back however many days later for your return flight. The airline will hold the one-way reservation until you've figured out the return.

We've been able to make many trips using FF miles, but we have the option of travelling in the shoulder seasons (spring and fall) which is easier than summer. I've found you need to be very disciplined. Plan your itinerary way in advance and don't even think about changing the flights once booked. At the same time, be flexible with routing options. You may have to connect somewhere in the U.S. or Europe or even be willing to make two connections each way (depending on where you live).

ParisAmsterdam

How about this... instead of an airmiles card get a credit card that gives you a percentage back on what you spend. Bank the money you are rebated each month.

Use the accumulated cash either for airfares or to help
pay for the rest of your trip.


Rob

daveesl

Assuming you have 2 adults that are credit worthy, with USair you can get the Bank of America credit card and the Barclays card. Each will open with 25,000 miles, that is 50,000 miles for each person. Almost enough for a single saver RT ticket each, with the new rates. About $125 in total fees, per person. 1 mile per dollar spent.

Also open a BOA checking acct with the USAir debit card. $35 fee, 1 mile per $2 spent.

Pay for everything you can with the credit cards, but pay them off completely at the end of each month so you do not pay interest.

You'll have enough for 2 R/T tickets fairly quickly.

As to booking, we booked our RT for next July, into AMS out of MUC, in early November, plenty of destinations and seats at the saver rate. By early December, almost every seat was gone at the cheap rate.

To save money, rent apartments, but make sure they have AC.

isabel

I've seen so many people have trouble using their "miles" when they want to. I have a capital one miles rewards card. The miles might not add up as fast as with airline cards, but you can use them on any airline, they never expire and there are no black out dates. It's also the best card to have to use once you do get over there - no fees and the best exchange rate. We charge absolutely everything (groceries, gas, insurance, cable, etc), pay it off each month. But it still takes me two or three years at least for one ticket.

See if you can put together an itinerary that flies you in and out of less expensive cities. Italy tends to be expensive. I just booked transatlantic flights on AirBerlin for 538 euro ($750) for next July. That's from JFK (they only have a few US cities) and it's to Germany, not where I was planning to go. But I found I could add flights to and from Greece and the total is only around $1100 per person. That's still at least $300 per person less than the other fares I've been finding, and I've been looking for months. You just have to be creative. A lot of budget European airlines fly to Italy from all over Europe so if you can get a good deal into some other city it can be worth it. Just be sure to check all the flights you'll need. Sometimes it really isn't a saving but it sure can be. With capital one you can charge any airfare so even if you don't have enough for the transatlantic tickets you might have enough for the intra European flights.

Also, if AirBerlin worked for you, you could consider renting a car in Germany and driving to Italy. You don't say how many are in your family, but if it's four or five that could be a big saving. Also, if you rent a car in Italy you have to take the "extra" insurance while if you rent it in Germany you can use your credit card insurance, another huge saving. Several years ago we did just that, found the best price was into Munich, (that was before I knew about AirBerline) so we rented the car there, and drove to Italy, our main destination. Turned out our kids loved the two days we spent in Germany and wished we had planned more time there.

Saraho

We have used Delta FF miles to fly to Europe many times. This fall we got tickets for 50,000 points each in June to fly in September. We had to be flexible to do that- we flew in and out of Rome instead of other not available routes. I would definitely get an air miles credit card that offers 25,000 to 35,000 as a bonus to start with. Then use it to pay for everything. I like American Express because you get double miles at grocery, gas and pharmacy, plus they often have double mile specials. And we have had better luck finding available tickets on Delta or one of their partners than on US Air or United which we also use sometimes. Good luck- you might as well start getting FF miles- if you don't have enough this year, then maybe next year.

Our big money saving hint on lodging is stay in convents. We love to do that. They are conveniently located, inexpensive and usually serve very good breakfasts. The sisters are good sources for local information.

We also love agriturismos- you get so much for your money. We're not as crazy about apartments although I know lots of people like them. We stayed in one in Rome this fall- it had a great location and price, but it was sort of weird, to say the least.

Mimar

Yes, there's not much you can do to save money on the flight across the Atlantic. Unless you start spending like mad on your credit card.

Have you considered a shorter trip some other time of year? Fares in the winter are particularly cheap.

In addition to convents, some hostels have family rooms. But with an apartment has a kitchen; you can cook some meals. And with kids, having snacks available is good.

bobthenavigator

Here is a way to save on car rentals, but I agree that you have to start with the air costs.
http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/planni...al_savings.htm

suze

You can also bring down the overall cost by how you travel once you arrive. By renting apartments, eating casually, making your own walking tours, etc. that part doesn't have to break the bank.

greenmtngirl

Thank you so much for all of your suggestions! We are keeping your responses in our research folder. You have all been very helpful.